


Never Gonna See Myself at the Finish Line

by flightofthedragons (orphan_account)



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Identity Porn, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 12:18:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6610432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/flightofthedragons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're Dick Grayson."</p>
<p>Robin held himself stiffly. "Yeah," he admitted in a heavy breath. "I am."</p>
<p>"You're- uhm. You're a lot cuter than I though you'd be."<br/>- - -</p>
<p>AU in which no one, not even Wally, knows Robin's real identity. Robin tries to change this, but things get more complicated than he bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Tegan and Sara's Not Your Hero (mostly because that's the song i was listening to when i finally posted this)
> 
> i've actually had this written for months, but i was too lazy to edit it so it's going up now! i've got another chapter and a half already written, but honestly this fic isn't my priority so idk if i'll finish it any time soon.

Wally West stood nervously on a Gotham street, clutching his phone and peering into the night. If anything he'd ever heard about the city was true, he was just asking to be jumped by a crook in a mask, and he could hardly defend himself while wearing his civilian clothes. _Are you coming or what?_ Wally typed anxiously, resisting the urge to ask why Robin had insisted on meeting in  an abandoned street in Gotham at ass-o-clock at night. Seriously, the place was creeping him out. 

\- - -

_Almost there. Learn a little patience,_ the fifteen year old Boy Wonder sent back. In truth,  the raven-haired teen was already there, watching his best friend while steeling himself for the confrontation. His nerves refused to calm, though; the longer he stood waiting, the more nervous he became. Realizing that if he didn't step out now he would lose his nerve altogether, Dick Grayson finally stepped into the light.

Adrenaline rushed in his ears. He saw the exact moment Wally spotted him, cataloged the look in his widened eyes and the stifled sound that came from Wally's throat a few seconds later as the older boy made the connection. It felt like an eternity before he heard Wally's graceless stammer, but then-

"You're Dick Grayson."

Robin held himself stiffly. "Yeah," he admitted in a heavy breath. "I am." Best friends looked at each other- the first time with no mask to divide them. No secrets, no lies. And then-

"You're- uhm. You're a lot cuter than I though you'd be." 

_Wait, what?_

"No offense!" Wally's face flamed red. Words escaped his mouth at rapid fire pace like he couldn't control them. "It's just, you know, rich boy on cameras, I never expected you to be quite this. Real. But you are, clearly, and now I am very embarrassed and probably blushing and in my defense, it's really late and I've been waiting for my friend to meet me in this creepy alley for a while now and. This is certainly not someplace I'd ever have imagined meeting you. Does Bruce Wayne- um, your dad, I guess- know you visit creepy alleys in the middle of the night? Is that what billionaires do for fun? Isn't that _dangerous_ in Gotham?"

Finding his voice, Dick managed to speak up before Wally could keep going. "Bruce doesn't know I'm here right now, no. I'm his ward, by the way, not his son. And I am more than equipped to defend myself." Dick struggled to process the situation. Wally didn't know he was Robin. That was simple enough to fix, he'd just have to explain.

_Wally had called him cute!_

The redhead in question was staring at him in a manner Wally probably thought was subtle. Shaking his head as though to clear it, the boy mumbled, "You just call him _Bruce_? Weird…." Straightening up, he offered his right hand to Dick. "I'm Wally. Wally West." Dick shook it awkwardly, not even managing a 'hello' of his own. 

"Do you meet a lot of boys back here at night, then?" Suddenly, Wally was wearing his flirtiest grin. Dick reflected that he had never truly appreciated how uncomfortable being on the receiving end of that grin was. He had, however, been fully aware of how good it looked on the other boy. Dick quickly forced himself not to get distracted. He opened him mouth to speak. 

"Actually, I'm-" 

"Awestruck by my presence? Happens to the best of us, babe." Wally winked. 

"Are you _always_ this awful at flirting?" Dick laughed. Flirting. _Wally was flirting with him._  

Wally shrugged unabashedly, not denying it. "I guess I just don't get much practice." _Liar, liar, liar._ "At least not on boys as pretty as yourself." _Liar, liar, li-_ boys, huh? Dick's thoughts halted. That might actually not have been untrue.

"Well, I pity the girls you flirt with," Dick said honestly. 

Wally shrugged. "You never answered the question." 

"What question?" 

"Do you often meet boys in dark alleyways at night?" 

Dick's throat felt dry. "Actually I- I was on my way to meet up with an old friend. My best friend, in fact." _Tell him tell him tell him._ "I shouldn't keep him waiting." Dick made no move to leave. What was he _doing_? He was supposed to be  telling Wally the truth, revealing that he was _Robin_ \- 

"Well, don't let me keep you," Wally grinned. "I don't know when my friend will show up, either. I was wondering, though- could I get your number?" Dick froze. It was now or never, he needed to tell Wally  _now_ -

"Yeah, um. Sure."

Dick walked away with the sense that he was inside a very weird dream. Almost immediately, he felt one of his phones buzz against his leg. 

_Hey Rob are you coming or not?_  
_If your not here in 5 SECONDS I'm goin back to central_

And then, on his other phone. 

_ Hey Dick this is Wally look I know I'm poor and bad at  _ _flirting but you're really cool and very attractive and I was wondering if I could take you out sometime?_


	2. Chapter 2

Dick stared at the message on his phone, contemplating whether to reply. He'd already responded to Wally as Robin, saying he couldn't make it due to his bat duties but that he'd make it up to Wally later.

 _Liar liar liar._ Robin tried to ignore the voice speaking at him but instead it grew even more persistent. _Liar. You made it, he was right there, he_ saw _you, he called you cute-_

Dick's cheeks were pink in the cold night air that bit into him on the rooftop. Gotham spread out below him, unwinding for his viewing pleasure. City lights gleamed, making Gotham look both less hostile and less like home than it ever did from within.

 _"I was wondering if I could take you out sometime,"_ Wally's words mocked him, glowing in the darkness. Dick could practically hear him saying them, self deprecating words belied by a grin and a wink. He needed to let Wally down gently- gods, what would he say if he knew he'd been hitting on _Robin?_

The keyboard blinked at Dick, ready to send his message. As soon as he thought of how to word it.

 _I probably shouldn't,_ he typed, honest for once.

 _What's stopping you?_ he got in reply, and Dick wanted to laugh out loud at the question. Where could he even begin? _We've known each other since i was eleven and neither of us has come out to the other? I've seen you eat a truly disgusting amount of food in less than a minute? You're my best friend and I couldn't stand to fuck that up?_

In the end, he typed _just don't have time to date much,_ which wasn't technically a lie but was so far from the truth that it made Dick want to break something.

Wally replied with _I get if you don't want to, but if you do and just can't rn, you've got my number. Call me._  
\- - -

Heart in his throat, Dick listened to the dial tone buzzing in his ear. He was on his bed this time, the relative safety of his room containing him for a short while. It was past time to come clean with Wally, once and for all.

"Dick!" Wally picked up eagerly. "Or- I can call you Dick, right? Should it be Richard? How are you? I didn't think you'd actually call!" He spoke at a mile a minute, words rushing together as he thought of them. Before Dick could help himself, a laugh bubbled out of his throat.

"Yeah, it's Dick," he confirmed. "Uh... Wally? I need to- We should talk."

"Okay? Shoot."

"I'm-" Crap. He couldn't do this over the phone. "Oakland Park isn't too far from where I live, could we meet there?"

"Sure!" Wally agreed.

"Great. I'll, uh meet you there in ten?"

"I'll be there. Can't wait to see your face, beautiful." Wally hung up, probably already on his way over from Central City.

Beautiful, beautiful, Wally thinks you're beautiful.

Robin was so fucked.  
\- - -

By the time Dick got to the park, Wally was already waiting. The redhead's eyes lit up upon spotting Dick draw near. He stood abruptly, grinning as Dick walked the last few yards to where his friend waited.

"Hey," he said shakily. "Thanks for coming all the way out here."

Wally shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. I actually don't live too far from here. Beside, any excuse to leave my house, right? I'd rather see you than my parents any day."

Dick just stared at him. Central City wasn't even in the same state as Gotham. Why was Wally lying to him? Oh, right, secret identities. Well, it was nice to have proof that Wally _did_ actually take those seriously. Even so, Dick felt oddly offended that Wally didn't trust him.

 _He doesn't know it's you, yet,_  Dick reminded himself. Right, time to work on that. Take two.

"I want to tell you something important," Dick said. "You'd be the first person in my life to know this and no matter what you  _cannot_ tell anyone," he warned.  _Not even the team_.

Wally nodded somberly, agreeing. "Don't worry, dude, I get it. No one knows about me either. I'm pretty sure me dad would throw me out of the house if he did," he added with a grin.

What? "Your dad doesn't-"

Wall was moving too fast for Dick, continuing a conversation that the Boy Wonder hadn't even realized he'd started. "He's fine, I guess, but there's only so much a man can tolerate, you know? Having a freckly science nerd for a son was enough; he doesn't need to know I like boys, too. I haven't even told my best friend yet, so you don't have to worry about me pressuring you to come out."

"But you flirted so easily!" Dick blurted out despite already knowing Wally hadn't come out. The older boy shrugged, looking slightly abashed.

"I guess you just seemed special," he said, and Dick couldn't tell whether he was joking. At any rate, it was a bad line. He looked around the park awkwardly, wondering who could be overhearing this uncomfortable conversation.

"I haven't told anyone, either," he admitted when he was certain there was no one in earshot. "Not that I don't think they'd be supportive, I just... haven't really found the right way to do it. And with media so critical of Wayne Enterprises, there really wouldn't be a way to do so privately. Every boy I meet would suddenly become a possible love interest."

" _Every_ boy?" Wally echoed. "Guess I was wrong to think I was unique, then." Dick grinned at Wally's teasing, familiar and wonderful.

Dick opened his mouth to reply, and it was at that moment that Wally's stomach let out a truly impressive groan. Dick was stupidly grateful, as he realized he had no idea what he'd been about to say.

"Want to grab some food?" he offered instead. "I'll pay; there's a corner bakery about a block away...."

Wally grinned, displaying his polished white teeth. "Sure, I never say no to free good. Also, I'm starving right now."

Dick laughed with ease. "Come on then." 

The two boys fell into step, Dick leading the way despite Wally's insistence that he lived nearby. "Did you move recently?" he teased, wondering if Wally would admit to his bluff. Instead, the speedster nodded.

"Yeah, I'm from Central City originally. Gotham just seemed like a better fit, you know?"

Dick shook his head in disbelief. "Then why haven't I seen you at school?" he tried.

"Because I don't go to an expensive prep school?" Wally grinned. "You can't trick me that easily. You may talk like a normal teenager, but I bet your tuition cost more than my organs would sell for on the black market."

Dick nodded seriously. "That could explain it, I suppose. You did mention being poor in your text, though I hadn't assumed this poverty would extend to your black market value. Perhaps I should reconsider my plan of chopping you up and keeping you in cold storage to pay off the rest of my schooling." Wally looked stricken for a brief moment before both boys burst into laughter. "Right here," Dick added, pointing out a small store easily missed from the outside.

The smell of fresh dough greeted their nostrils as Wally and Dick stepped into the bakery. Wally immediately charged toward the display case full of pastries while Dick smiled at the woman behind the counter. "Hi, Sandra," he called.

"Hello, Mr. Grayson," she responded. "Chocolate cherry muffin today?"

"That'd be great," he smiled. "I'll also get a chicken sandwich and whatever Wally wants."

"Can I have one of those muffins? And the sandwich? And a chopped salad, and a potato soup. And one of those orange pastries there, too."

Dick raised an amused eyebrow but said nothing; it wasn't as though he couldn't afford it. "Sorry," Wally apologized anyway, "I've got cash; I can pay you back in a moment. I just haven't eaten yet today." And there was no way _that_ was true, but Dick wasn't going to call him out on it just yet. Instead he shrugged, telling Wally to keep his money and assuring him that it didn't matter to him. 

"So, uh, thanks for actually calling," Wally said as they slid into a booth. "I didn't think you really would. And especially if you don't want people seeing you on a date with a boy, I completely get why you wouldn't have."

"This isn't a date," Dick interjected sharply. Wally stared at him, and Dick's face heated slightly. "Not that I'm not interested! I just wanted to talk," he amended, trying not to feel like an ass.

"But you called me. And payed for my food," Wally pointed out, " _And_ you're talking to me. That's what a date _is_."

"But I... you barely know me!" The sentence was ridiculous in how true and how false it was. Wally knew Robin better than anyone, better than _Bruce_. But he knew nothing at all about Dick Grayson.

"I know you're cute," Wally offered. "And ideally you're supposed to want to date someone for their personality over their looks, but how else am I supposed to get to know you? One date is not a contract to a relationship you don't want, Dick. it's just... _fun_."

"Oh." And here was where Robin needed to speak up, to tell Wally the truth. He couldn't do it. Dick looked across at the gangly, freckled ginger- who was scarfing down his second entreé at a pace just barely too fast for a normal human- and he lost his nerve.

"Dick. Richard. You're overthinking, I can tell. Are you having fun?"

"Yeah, I am," he realized heavily.

"Then it's a date."  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It entertains me that anyone expects to see this get updated. That said, have an update.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey. Rob." Robin's eyes flickered over Kid Flash in acknowledgement. He was unwilling to break the silence in case they gave away their location, but he couldn't bring himself to chide his best friend either. "Is that a- okay, yes, I'm just going to talk now." His whisper was quiet, at least. Kid Flash and Robin were supposed to be waiting to see if anyone came by this back route, but no one had come yet and Robin was starting to doubt anyone was going to. Beside him, Kid Flash babbled on.

"I'm. So obviously I'm really into girls. Like, really into them, and you've seen me hit on every girl we've ever worked with and get rejected an embarrassing number of times." Robin nodded, not really sure what he felt. Dick had gone on a few dates with Wally, casual occasions that had him laughing at his best friend's antics and smiling through the warmth that was starting to fill him at the sound of Wally's voice. But Dick didn't know that Wally West was Kid Flash, and Robin didn't know that Wally knew Dick Grayson.

"If you confess your love for Artemis right now," he warned lightly, "I will shove you into the Joker. I will walk away and not look back."

Kid Flash laughed nervously. "No, um- no. Not quite where this was going." His voice rose. Robin instinctively wanted to tell him to shut up, but he kept himself silent. "I like boys," Wally admitted finally. "Too, I mean, I wasn't faking anything." He still looked nervous, and for a moment Robin wasn't sure what he was waiting for. He already knew that, of course, but even if he hadn't it would hardly have affected their friendship.

"KF," he said sincerely, "watching you attempt to flirt is a painful, uncomfortable experience for everyone involved. I'm sure it's no different when it's with a guy."

Wally beamed at him, and for a brief, faltering moment Robin could think of no reason why he wasn't out to his best friend as well. But Wally _knew_ Dick Grayson was queer- it would be too much of a coincidence if Robin was, too.

"So, is… is there a reason you're doing this now?" Robin asked, curious to see how Wally would explain Dick to his best friend. "Do you have a boyfriend or something?" Wally winced, and a surge of regret flooded through Robin. Why would he ask that? They weren't _really_ dating, hadn't described themselves as anything yet. What if Wally's description for them was different than Dick's own? What if he didn't mention him at all?

"Or something," the redhead said. "Nothing's official, but... there's a boy."

Dick barely had time to recognize the flutter he felt when M'gann broke into his thoughts.

_They're over here, behind the docks. Come quickly._

With a quick nod, Wally picked up Robin and they ran.  
\- - -

_I told my best friend about you. Is that okay?  
I didn’t mention your name. Just that I was seeing a boy._

_That’s fine. I’m glad you did._

…

“What’s up?” Dick asked, leaning heavily into his bed with his cell against his ear.

“You’re sure it’s okay? I know you aren’t really out, and besides we’re not really boyfriends or anything right now. I just needed an excuse to come out to him I think I’ve been putting it off for too long already-”

“Wally, breathe,” Dick said easily, familiarly. And then, “Do you want to be?”

“Do I want to be out?”

“Boyfriends. Do you want to be very closeted boyfriends?”

On the other end of the line, Wally laughed. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Okay.” Dick Grayson grinned, happiness he knew he didn’t deserve filling his chest. “Hey Wally? I’m glad you told someone about us.” It was the most honest thing he’d said all day, and Dick resented himself for having so many secrets. It wasn’t fair, he knew it wasn’t, but he wanted to keep this feeling and wanted to give up every secret he’d ever had to keep from his best friend. Instead, he said just one more truth, the only one that felt important just then. “I wish you were here with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found more stuff I'd had written for this fic and got inspired to work on it again, so I am not abandoning this fic after all! thank you to everyone who's been leaving nice comments, i'm sorry that i'm not the best at updating this one. this is actually the only chapter fic i've ever written, usually i finish the whole thing first and post it as a one shot, but i wasn't sure if i was ever going to finish it


	4. Chapter 4

Something bright and sharp and _happy_ filled Wally as he raced from Central City to Gotham, the knowledge that he should have been in English class barely weighing next to the thought of seeing _Dick_ in just a few minutes. Gotham Academy’s school day was set to end at 3pm Eastern time, and Wally wanted to be waiting outside Dick’s classroom the moment he got out of Chemistry. To do that, he had to skip the last two classes of _his_ day to make up for time zones and travel time, but it was so worth it.

Gotham Academy was larger than Wally had expected, considering its student population was only around 400. He hoped finding Dick’s classroom was as easy as the Gothamite had made it out to be; Wally could imagine few things worse than getting lost in his boyfriend’s fancy prep school when he was still lying to Dick about being a local. Getting into the school was probably easier than it should have been; Wally used his superspeed to bypass the security and ran immediately up to the second floor before he could be spotted. From there, he had to grin at the presence of Gotham Academy’s labs; science always would manage to attract the speedster.

He’d gotten the timing just right, with only a few seconds passing before the final bell droned overhead. Wally did his best to look natural as students poured out of their classes. It was then that he realized a fatal flaw in this plan- Gotham’s students wore uniforms. In his red and yellow shorts and t-shirt, Wally stood out from the gray of the other teens as much as if he’d worn his Kid Flash uniform. He frantically scanned for Dick’s face, ignoring all the eyes that were fixed to him, clearly aware that Wally did not belong. Relief shot through him when he spotted the mathlete, and Wally forced himself to slow to a normal speed as he ran to Dick.

“Hey,” he grinned nervously. Dick blinked up at him with surprised blue eyes.

“Hey,” he echoed back. “Shouldn’t you still be in class?”

“Nope,” Wally lied. “I got out fifteen minutes ago.” He desperately hoped that at least one of the Gotham public schools got out at 2:45, or else that Dick wouldn’t know any better. One of these days, Wally was going to have to do actual research on the life he was supposed to be leading in Gotham before Dick asked a question he couldn’t answer. Thus far it had worked out, though; Dick rarely seemed interested in those kinds of details despite freely giving them. Their relationship was so built in the _now_ that Wally scarcely needed to lie at all.

As it was, Dick looked surprised, but he didn’t argue the fact. He was no super detective, unlike Wally’s other favorite Gotham resident. “I’m glad you came,” Dick said, happiness evident in his voice. Wally’s grin widened, his heart beating even faster than before. Dick’s emotions were easier to read than just about everyone else’s that Wally knew, a welcome reprieve from dealing with secretive superheroes. The fifteen year old led Wally to his locker, completely ignoring the attention they were garnering in a manner that made Wally wonder if he was used to it. The thought made his chest constrict tightly.

“I’m going to change my clothes first, so you won’t be the only one not in uniform. Plus, people will recognize me, so if we’re both together out of uniform they’re more likely to think that you’re a student they just haven’t noticed before.” Wally nodded, grateful that Dick at least had a plan. “Next time, give me a little more warning before just showing up here?” Dick gave Wally a pained smile. “I don’t exactly want Bruce finding out you came to visit me at school.”

Wally nodded solemnly. He had yet to meet Robin’s dad, but the idea was sounding more and more on par with having a one-on-one with Batman in terms of utter terrifyingness.

“Great.” Dick gave Wally a quick, chaste kiss in the hallway before darting across to the men’s bathroom. Wally stayed by the open locker, feeling even more self-conscious as people gaped openly. One blonde girl in particular practically had her mouth open as she fixed Wally with a hard glare.

Oh, shit.

Artemis marched toward him, and Wally resisted the urge to beg her to stay away. “Wally, what are you _doing_ here?” she asked angrily once she was in hissing distance. “What are you doing with _Dick Grayson_?”

“Um. He’s kind of my boyfriend?” Wally said feebly, not sure how to explain any more than that. “We’ve been hanging out in Gotham and I told him I was from around here and- wait. What are you _you_ doing here?”

Artemis shifted uncomfortably at the question, hesitating before giving an answer. “I go to school here.”

Wally stared openly at her, taking in the uniform and bookbag for the first time. Unlike him, she looked like she belonged. “Why do you go to _Gotham_ Academy? Aren’t you from Star City?”

Artemis shrugged off the accusation. “Look, I don’t care if you’re gay or what, but Wally, you _can’t_ get involved in Dick Grayson. You should get out of here.”

“What? Why?” Wally was bewildered. “Arty, _I like him_. What makes you say-“

“Shh!” The Vietnamese archer interrupted suddenly. Just then, Dick walked toward them, now wearing jeans and a green hoodie. “I’ll talk to you later,” she said significantly, refusing to glance at Dick.

“See you,” Wally said in lieu of a goodbye. He turned to face Dick, who was watching Artemis with a sport of pained frown on his face. “She’s my neighbor,” Wally lied. “I talk to her pretty much every day.”

“I… see,” Dick replied slowly. “I take it she doesn’t like me very much.”

Wally turned red. “How much of that did you overhear?”

Dick shrugged. “Enough? Not much, just the end. C’mon, let’s get out of here. I’ve spent enough of my day in this building.”  
\- - -


End file.
